DRIVEN: 2017 Volvo V60 Polestar

As a performance-tuned station wagon, the Volvo V60 Polestar is a highly-niche version of a highly-niche vehicle. A sheetmetal unicorn.

A rocket-propelled wagon ready for track-day, a snow-day, or a trip to the slopes. The only thing more rare and bad-ass than a fast, exclusive wagon like this is probably a carbon-fiber Velociraptor with laser-cannons for eyes.

A unique Borg Warner AWD system is bolted to the underside, beefed up to handle the extra power. And it’s not shy about sending power galore to the rear-wheels for drifting duty, if you like.

All said, this V60 variant is far from a set of lowering springs and power boost over the standard model.

The cargo hold is wide, nicely finished, flaunts a clever flip-up divider, is easy to load, has plenty of space, and is easily accessible with a little jump by the family canine. Rear seats are tight for taller adults, with legroom and headroom diminishing most quickly. Those of average size or smaller will find them just right.

The overall cabin environment is getting dated, but still looks distinctive and upscale. It includes performance seats, blue stitching, and a slick-looking transparent gear lever. Don’t miss the customizable all-digital instrument cluster, complete with a big red tachometer, smack in the middle.

That tachometer is attached to the V60 Polestar’s engine, which is just the craziest. No replacement for displacement? Polestar begs to differ. Its two-litre four-cylinder runs both a turbocharger and supercharger, which is the gearhead equivalent of having your birthday on Christmas. It’s a little engine running big boost, good for 367 horsepower, and nearly 350 lb.-ft. of torque. Take the close proximity of the output figures to mean that you get lots of power, and that you get it instantly.

There’s turbo lag at lower revs, but the supercharger compensates. And that supercharger runs out of breath at higher revs, conveniently, right where the turbo comes online in force. From the driver’s seat? Gobs of power, available with nearly startling urgency, at any touch of the throttle and no sense of a pair of compressors kicking in and out. She goes, folks. She goes real good.

Don’t miss the exhaust howl, complete with little fluttery burps accentuating the lightning-fast upshifts. Or the off-the line starts: at full throttle from a dig, the thrust and grip make you imagine the car accelerating the paint clean off of its body.

The rest of the vehicle is dialed in beautifully around the hefty power output.

Steering is heavy, thick and deliberate, requiring drivers to use a bit of muscle. Turn a corner, and forget compressing springs and bushings and shocks: every ounce of your input goes straight to the tires. At your fingertips? Reactions to your steering inputs are predictable, confidence-inspiring, locked-on, and instant.

Accelerate hard, cornering or otherwise, and you feel the AWD and brakes working in cahoots to precisely tune power delivery on a wheel by wheel basis. Outer wheels get more power. Inner wheels are braked slightly. This creates a sort of rudder effect, helping the V60 slip and turn with the agility of a smaller machine.

Understeer? Oversteer? On bare pavement, forget about it. It just goes exactly where you point it, and rarely makes a hint of a slip or squirm in the process. Horsepower rarely ever out guns the available traction, and that composure and absolute obedience to driver commands is maintained, even if you’re driving it like a complete hooligan.

In very simple terms, one sensation overwhelmingly apparent however you drive this thing. That sensation is one of the V60 Polestar absolutely chomping into the road for bolted-down traction.

The brakes let it down slightly — the Brembo setup is massively powerful and able to shut the Polestar down from high speeds in quick order, even on wet roads, though the feel at the pedal lacks the precision you’ll find at the other controls, and feels a bit minivan-like.

Ride quality is a matter of perspective. On rougher roads, the V60 Polestar reminds your writer of a performance car, like a Porsche 911 or a Jaguar F-Type. On smooth highways, it’s sporty, but not uncomfortable. If you’ve ever owned a fairly serious sports car, you’re in the same ride quality ballpark here. It’s not for everyone, but it’s charming, to the right driver.

So, fancy yourself a hot wagon that almost nobody else drives, and that you won’t see three of when you arrive at the chalet?